DA Pamela Price won't address recall in announcing charges vs. deputies in Santa Rita Jail death
OAKLAND, Calif. - Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price held a news conference on Thursday, her first public appearance since being recalled last week.
She refused to discuss her reaction to being ousted as the county's top prosecutor or the future of the DA's Office with her pending departure.
"Now is not the time nor the place," Price said.
Instead, Price read aloud the names and the criminal charges she filed this week against nine deputies and two medical staff regarding the Nov. 15, 2021 death of Maurice Monk, who had been languishing in his Santa Rita Jail cell for days before anyone noticed he was no longer alive.
KTVU first reported these charges on Tuesday.
Monk's sister, Elvira Monk, told KTVU that she was invited to the news conference and was told by prosecutors that the arrest warrants are still being served on the deputies and staff and that "things are going good."
Charging documents filed in Alameda County Superior Court show current and former deputies Donall Chauncy Rowe, Thomas Mowrer, Ross Burruel, Robinderpal Singh Hayer, Andre Gaston, Troy Hershel White, Syear Osmani, Mateusz Laszuk and Christopher Haendel as well as Wellpath nurse David Everett Donoho and Alameda County Forensic Behavioral Health Dr. Neal Edwards were all charged with dependent adult abuse and neglect. The maximum penalty is four years in prison.
Mower and White no longer work at the sheriff's office.
Hayer, White and Osmani were also charged with falsifying documents.
All the charges are felonies.
None of the 11 people have been arraigned yet; a court date has not yet been scheduled.
Price said it should be within "a reasonable amount of time."
Price added that she was working to negotiate their surrender as some of the defendants already have lawyers.
In an email to KTVU, Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez acknowledged that mistakes were made in Monk's death, but she does not believe criminal charges are warranted.
She added that she was "deeply disappointed by District Attorney Price’s decision to pursue charges, as I do not believe they are justified. I will continue to support our staff throughout this challenging process."
Still, Sanchez placed the seven deputies who still work for the Sheriff's Office on leave after the charges were formally filed.
Wellpath officials chose not to comment.
Nia' More Monk is the daughter of Maurice Monk, who languished for days at Santa Rita Jail.
KTVU tried to reach Sgt. Shaughn Park, president of the Deputy Sheriffs' Association of Alameda County, but no one picked up the phone.
Last fall, KTVU first reported the conditions of Monk's death after obtaining exclusive body camera video inside the jail that shows no one physically checked on the 45-year-old man, who is seen lying half naked on his bunk, for at least three days, possibly four.
And when deputies finally found Monk's body, stacks of uneaten food trays and pills lay scattered about the floor near an oblong puddle of urine by the foot of his bed.
Monk had been there so long that the ink imprint of his jail shirt had stained his chest. Stacks of uneaten food trays and pills lay scattered on the floor.
An internal sheriff's investigation found that some deputies forged the wellness check timelines and failed to identify plenty of signs that Monk had been in medical distress, according to Monk's wrongful death lawsuit.
Last year, Monk's daughter and son won $7 million – an unprecedented amount from the sheriff's office.
While this was a significant case for Price – it appears to be the first time in history that so many law enforcement officers were charged at once in Alameda County with an in-custody death – the actual future of the case is uncertain.
No one knows who will permanently replace Price and if that person will want to continue with the case.
Price wouldn't speculate.
She only highlighted what her prosecutors had already done.
"The Public Accountability Unit did, in fact, file these charges based on a thorough review of the evidence, and the charges are pending," Price said.
And as for herself, Price reiterated her refusal to lay out her own future.
"Now is not the time or the place for me to address what the campaign will do," Price said.